One Night
by Granuaile the Pirate Princess
Summary: What if the odalisque sent to Erik would have said yes? Based on Susan Kay's Phantom, alternate universe. Oneshot


**Author's note: The idea for this story came to me while I was reading Susan Kay's Phantom for the millionth time. Erik belongs to Leroux/Kay. And before you start, the name "Akuti" means princess. Enjoy!**

_« Bring her forward, » he said._

_Erik's voice had lost all its beauty and become a harsh, metallic rasp which made the girl shrink __instinctively against the arm of the eunuch who restrained her. She was dragged across the room and thrown at his feet, in accordance with his curt gesture. Rising slowly, like some great unfurling shadow, he leaned forward and pulled off the girl's veil to reveal huge eyes edged with antimony, staring up at him with undisguised terror._

"_How old are you?" he demanded harshly._

"_Fifteen, master." Her voice was barely audible._

"_Have they told you what is expected of you?"_

"_Yes," she whispered._

"_Very well. I have seen what lies behind your veil, my dear… now you shall be accorded a reciprocal honor. Come forward and remove my mask."_

_The girl did not move; she continued to kneel at his feet, staring up at him in horror._

"_To refuse me now is to refuse the shah himself," said Erik steadily. "If you resist I shall take you by force and then return you to execution at his hands. But only come to me willingly for this one night and I swear you shall go free at dawn. One night buys you the rest of your life, and the means to spend it in honorable comfort. And perhaps, after all, that night will not be so terrible as you fear…"_

Akuti tried hard to steady herself. The harem was full of terrifying tales of this man, the favorite of the khanum. But the prospect of freedom? That was an unheard-of possibility for an odalisque, even if it did come at the cost of a night with this… creature. She looked at the outstretched hand before her face. It was unnaturally pale and thin, and when she reached out to accept it, she felt that he was cold as a corpse. Unconsciously she shuddered at the feeling.

Erik pretended not to notice her reaction of horror, and spoke softly to the others in the room without taking his eyes from her face. "Leave us." The room emptied quickly, and Akuti was suddenly alone with him. With the same soft, even tone of voice as before, Erik repeated his request. "Now, little princess, remove my mask."

Akuti reached out a trembling hand, and like a doctor removing a bandage, snatched it off quickly. Erik seemed to recoil inwardly, divested of his covering. She gasped; she couldn't help it. His face was like the face of a man long dead, a specter from the grave staring back at her. It took all of her fortitude not to run screaming from the room, certain death or not. But, the look in his eyes was what stopped her. Their odd, yellow depths held a certain vulnerability, and old pain. It was as if he was waiting for her to scream, to run away, to do any number of the things that had occurred to do at her first glance of his face.

Instead, she held out her hand to him again, inviting him to take it again. She lowered her face, as she had been taught to do. "What would you have of me, Master?"

Erik took her hand again, glad that she didn't look up and see his surprise. He led her to a divan and motioned for her to sit. "I would have your name, little princess." His fingers played absently over the back of her hands, eliciting a shudder that had nothing to do with fear.

She looked up at him through long black eyelashes. "Akuti, sir."

Erik laughed softly, the lyrical sound seeming so incongruous with his ugly form. "A little princess, indeed, then. And I am not sir, or Master, Akuti; simply Erik."

Akuti looked him straight in the eyes, his features somewhat beautified in her eyes by the sound of his voice and the kindness of his manner. "Erik, then… I was brought here for a purpose. Once again, I ask what you would have of me."

Erik looked away. "You ask out of duty, little princess. I would have of you only what you give freely, whatever that might be."

Something in his tone moved Akuti. She saw a play of emotions go across his face as she leaned closer to him, and she wondered what it was he was thinking of.

_"What do you want for your birthday, Erik?"_

_"Mama, can I have two… two… kisses?"_

Akuti saw a look akin to panic on his face. Could it be he had never been kissed before? As a harem virgin she, too, had never kissed a man, but she had enjoyed the tender ministrations of her mother… had he been denied these? Overwhelming pity for the man she had thought her jailer welled up in her heart as she gently pressed her lips to his.

He trembled under her touch, afraid at first that this gift he'd been given would be snatched away. But when he pulled her closer, she didn't recoil, instead she deepened the kiss and melted against his chest. The feel of her heart fluttering so close to his own made his pulse race, his breathing grow ragged. Could this actually happen? Was she actually giving herself to him? There could be no question, when she began tugging at his shirt. With a profound show of self-control, he pulled back from her. "Not here, little princess. You are not a whore to be tumbled on the floor."

He took her hand and led her to his bedchamber, a room little used, since he rarely needed sleep. He lit a few candles, the soft glow much kinder to his features than the bright lamps of his outer chamber. He laid her back on the bed, kissing gently from her jaw and down her neck, farther down to the upper curve of her ample breasts. He heard her breathe in sharply, and it drove him on. He slid off the scanty top she wore and took one of her nipples in his mouth, exploring it with his tongue and nibbling lightly, feeling it harden under his lips. "Erik…" he heard her whisper urgently. He reached down and slid off the voluminous pants she wore and stared down at her, entranced. She was even more beautiful unhidden by clothing, every curve an artists masterpiece.

He leaned over to blow out the candles, leaving them both in utter darkness. Only then did he give in to her insistent hands and slid off his own shirt. She ran her hands over the smooth expanse of his back, feeling the lean muscles moving as he leaned down to kiss her again. She moved to remove his pants, and he allowed her, too far gone now to have any fears. His only thoughts were of her, and of making her his.

He pushed himself inside her, hearing her gasp in mixed pain and pleasure. He held her as she adjusted herself to the feeling, then slowly began to slide himself in and out, overwhelmed by the feeling of her tightness around him. She pushed back against him, and he began to pump harder. He couldn't last much longer, this was his first time, and she had been well-trained. Crying out her name, he buried himself in her as deep as he could and came. She cried out beneath him, digging her nails into his back, her own needs fulfilled.

Carefully he pulled out and lay down beside her, panting and slick with sweat. She rolled to her side and nestled herself against his chest, where they both fell asleep.

They were awoken the next morning by sunlight streaming through the windows. Erik kissed Akuti's sleepy face. "Its time to for you to go, little princess."

She rolled onto her side, a sleepy grimace on her face. "But I don't want to go."

Erik pulled the sheet off of her and tossed her clothes at her. "A promise is a promise, Akuti. One night for your freedom."

"But that was before…"

Erik kissed her gently. "And I will never forget the gift you've given me. But you are a creature of life, and I am a creature of death. I want you to live your life." He handed her a large purse, looked at her one last time, and walked out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Akuti was afraid at first, when she discovered she was carrying a child. What if Erik's disfigurement was genetic? This was her fear as the midwife encouraged her on. But when she heard the baby's cry and saw the midwife's smile, her fears flew away. A little boy with dark hair, blue eyes, and fair skin was laid in her arms, and she smiled down at him. "Welcome to the world, little Erik."


End file.
